


Misunderstanding (Harry Styles one shot)

by awkwardom



Series: One Shots [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Brief Physical Abuse, Elounor, F/M, Harry Styles - Freeform, Jealous Harry, Misunderstanding, One Shot, Rumors, Verbal Abuse, cheating rumours, fight, four - Freeform, unfortunate misunderstanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-08
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-13 13:41:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4524153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awkwardom/pseuds/awkwardom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumors come up about Harry Styles' girlfriend, Jaiden, having an affair with Louis Tomlinson. Harry and Jaiden get into a bad fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Misunderstanding

I smile as I read the email that Selena had sent me. She was currently in Cuba on vacation with her family, and she had sent me some pictures she’d taken recently. I’m happy that she finally got to go on vacation with her family like she’d always wanted. Selena and her whole family had been saving up for years to go on this trip. Since I work with a well-known fashion designer and am paid a lot of money, I decided the chip in and help pay for their trip. Even my boyfriend, Harry, had offered to help, since he’s obviously got loads of money from touring and selling albums. They kept saying no when Harry and I offered to help pay, because they wanted to pay for everything themselves, but we both insisted that they accept the money. In the end they accepted it and now they were off having an amazing time.  
After I finish reading the email, I quickly click reply, and am led to a blank screen. I scratch my jaw before I begin to type a quick reply.

Hey Selena,  
I’m really happy that you guys got to go to Cuba, and I’m glad you and your family are having fun. I miss you, though. It gets lonely here with Harry always being busy with his band and having a couple weeks off from work. I’m happy that you’re having a good time, but I’ll be happy when you come home.  
I’ll see you soon,  
Jaiden.

Satisfied with the email, I click ‘send’ and log out of my email account. I log into Twitter and scroll down my newsfeed, but stop suddenly when something catches my eye.  
#IsJaidenCheating

Wait, what? Why are people trending that? I’m not cheating on Harry, and I never have. I do get hate from fans, but they’ve never accused me of cheating. I click on the hashtag, because I need to see where this all started and why it has suddenly become a popular trend. The hashtag brings me to a list full of different tweets with the hashtag. I read the most recent tweets with the hashtag first. 

@Beth1234: Heard the news. Is it really true? #IsJaidenCheating?

@anthaboo: Why the hell are people tweeting #IsJaidenCheating?! She isn't a cheater!!

@cali_babe: I just read the article! That dirty slut! And with his own bandmate! That's low! #IsJaidenCheating

What are they talking about? With his own band mate? What does that mean? I scroll down and read more of the tweets. Some of them were saying that I wasn’t a cheater and that the trend was stupid, which I was thankful for, because at least some fans knew the truth, and other tweets were just fans sending me hate. I felt tears well up in my eyes, but I blinked them back and forced myself not to cry. What did I do to make everyone think that I’m cheating on Harry? And what are they talking about when they say, ‘With his own bandmate’? Do they actually think that I cheated on Harry with one of the boys? I would never do that!

I continued to scroll down the list of tweets for a while, but then I couldn’t scroll down anymore, meaning that I’d reached the beginning of the trend. I click on the tweet at the bottom of the page, and I notice that it has a link to an article about me cheating on Harry. It also happens to be tweeted by the Twitter account for a gossip magazine. Clicking the link, I read the article.

Jaiden Bales and One Direction’s were Louis Tomlinson caught kissing earlier today, and it looks pretty intense too. This shocked us quite a bit. Sources had been telling us about the couple secretly dating, but this picture we caught here proves it. But why though? Sources close to Jaiden had mentioned how she and Louis were getting very close, but they never said how close they were. We don’t know what to think. #IsJaidenCheating?  
At the bottom of the article, there is a picture of a couple kissing. I stare at it for a while. I definitely looks like Louis and I, but I know it’s not. It has to be Photoshop, it just has to.

I feel sick. Are they shitting with me? I would never do that to Harry! I can’t believe they’d stoop so low and post all these articles about Louis and I. It’s bad enough that I get lots of hate, as well as Louis, but now that they think we’re cheating, it’s only getting worse. I refresh the page and see that Louis is also getting a lot of hate. Hopefully Louis won’t blame this on me, because it’s not my fault.

My phone starts to vibrate and I pick it up off the couch. Louis’ name flashes across the screen, and I bite my lip before hesitantly answering the call.

“Hello?”

“Did you hear the rumors?” Louis asks immediately. I sigh and run a hand through my hair.

“Yeah, I did.”

“I can’t believe this! They keep posting shit about us, and it’s getting out of hand!” Louis exclaimed, his voice rough with anger and frustration.

“I know,” I say quietly. “Did El freak out?”

“Yeah. She threw a f*cking fit and kept throwing shit at me until she looked at the picture and realized it was Photoshop. She’s calm now,” Louis explained. He sighed. “Did Harry get angry?”

Oh shit.

I completely forgot about Harry. He’s going to be pissed!

“Shit, I don’t know,” I say anxiously while looking over at the door. I feel like Harry’s going to barge in at any second and scream at me.

“F*ck,” Louis whispered. “He’ll probably blow his lid. Do you want me to come over and help explain?”

“No, that will probably just make things worse,” I answer. “If the fans or the paparazzi see you at my house, they’ll pester you, and if Harry see’s you and if he’s already aware of the news, his probably lose his shit entirely.”

“Are you sure?” Louis asks. “I know how bad he gets when he’s angry.”

“Yeah,” I say shakily. “I…I know he’ll probably lose his shit as soon as he gets here, but there’s no point in making him angrier, right? I’ll talk to him. I just hope he’ll listen.”

“For your sake, I hope so too,” Louis says. He sighs into the phone. “I gotta go. Call me if he becomes too much, alright?”

“I will. I’ll talk to you later. Bye Lou,” I say before hanging up and gently placing the phone down on the coffee table.

God, I hope that Harry will listen to me. He’s terrifying when he’s angry. His voice gets louder and louder and his actions become more violent. Harry doesn’t get angry often, but when he does, shit happens. I’m in trouble; big trouble.

I hear the front door slam open all of a sudden, then slam close. I flinch and close my laptop as heavy footsteps come thundering towards me. Harry’s pissed, and I am so screwed. I stand and turn around just as Harry storms into the living room, and holy shit, he looks furious. His curly hair is a mess, almost as if he had tugged on it a lot. His face is beet red and there were dry tear tracks on his cheeks. His green are dark and murderous. His fists are clenched so tight at his sides that his knuckles are white. A vein is popping out of his neck and his whole body is shaking with anger.  
Yeah, I’m definitely screwed.

“WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS?” Harry yells in my face, holding up a magazine with the fake picture of Louis and I on the cover. I wince at the intense volume and move to take a step back, but Harry grabs my arm roughly and grips it tight, preventing me from moving anywhere. “DON’T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME! ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION!”

“I’m not cheating on you, Harry!” I say and try to rip my arm out of his grip. My efforts are futile, though, because Harry just digs his nails in, and I wince again.

“That’s bull! I saw the f*cking photo!” His voice softened a bit, and Harry sounds hurt, but I am too. How could he just believe the lies that he’s being fed? I can’t believe that Harry doesn’t trust me.

“I’M NOT CHEATING ON YOU, HARRY!” I cry, feeling the tears well up in my eyes again as the pain in my arm intensifies.  
Suddenly, Harry throws his fist back and brings it across my face. I cry out as my cheek begins to throb in pain. My head, which had flown to the side when Harry had hit me, is now pounding with a headache from all the yelling and Harry’s blow. I quickly look up at Harry, my eyes wide with fear and my jaw slack. I can’t believe Harry just hit me.

“DON’T F*CKING SHOUT AT ME, B*TCH!” He shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. My hands and knees are trembling now, my whole body tense with fear. I’m tempted to just run away and go to my parent’s place, but I need to get Harry to realize that I’m telling the truth.

“I didn’t cheat on you, Harry! I swear! Please believe me!” I plead, my voice trembling in pain and fear. Harry shakes his head and throws my wrist aside. I held my wrist to my chest protectively, examining the bright red handprint on my wrist and the faint cuts left from Harry’s fingernails.

“You know, I never thought you would do this. I know I’m not perfect, but at least I’m faithful,” Harry hissed, giving me an icy glare. He leaned in close and I instinctively flinched back. “F*cking slut,” Harry snarled venomously. I whimper and close my eyes, wishing that I was somewhere else.

“Harry, please...” I beg one last time, my voice barely audible. 

Harry lets out an angered shout and storms over to the wall, punching a hole right through it. I gasp and stumble back slightly. I’ve never seen Harry like this before, and it’s a side of him that I definitely don’t like. If this blows over, I hope to never see this side of him again.

Harry still hasn’t moved his fist out the wall. His shoulders move up and down with every heavy breath he takes. I hesitantly walk over to him and take hold of his arm, pulling his hand out of the wall. Harry flinches and groans in pain, trying to pull his arm out of your grasp. “That f*cking hurts!” Harry growls angrily, but his voice was laced with pain.

“Harry, you need to calm down. I’ll bandage your hand up for you,” I say softly, looking up at him with pleading eyes that are still teary. Harry growls again and roughly pulls my arm out of his grasp.

“DON'T F*CKING TOUCH ME YOU F*CKING B*TCH!” He roars before he brings his fist back and punches me in the face. 

Harry’s hit causes me to collapse to the side, my head banging on the wall in the process. I slide down the side of the wall and fall in heap on the floor. My head starts to throb and my vision becomes a blurry, spinning mess. My ears start to ring and everything becomes hazy. Pain throbs in my left cheek and I really want to cry right now, but I can’t. My senses have dulled so much that the pain is barely even noticeable. I attempt to push myself up, my arms give out and I collapse again.

I hear a voice speaking, but the ringing in my ears muffles it. I try to make out what the voice is saying, but I can’t. I feel something grab my shoulder and push me into a sitting position. The back of my head hits the wall and I clench my eyes shut, letting out a quiet groan. The hit isn’t as hard as Harry’s hit, but it was near the spot that had come in contact with the wall. I hear voices again, and my hearing starts to work again. I crack my eyes open and notice that my vision isn’t as blurry as before, and the room isn’t spinning as much as it was a minute ago. I blink a couple times to clear my vision before my gaze shifts up.

Harry is gazing down at me, his expression blank. I want to cry, because why isn’t Harry apologizing? I know I shouldn’t assume that he’ll apologize, but I thought that he would come of his rage by now…At least, I hoped that he would. I guess I’m wrong.

Harry nudges his chin towards the door, growling “Get out.”

I want to protest, and I want to yell at him for kicking me out when I’m innocent, but my mouth can’t seem to form the words I’m trying to say. My mind and body are disconnected right now, and I can’t find the will or energy to move or make a sound.

“I-I…” I manage to squeak out after a minute or so. My mouth feels numb and dry. What’s happening to me?

“GET OUT!” Harry shouts, pointing at the door, his eyes ablaze.

Once again, I am unable to get myself to speak or do anything. My mouth bobs open and shut as I try to form a proper sentence, but then there is a loud bang and Harry’s gaze flickers in the direction of the front door, then widen.

“Harry! I can explain!” Louis’ voice shouts. I hear footsteps running in our direction, and then Louis and Eleanor are standing in front of Harry, holding hands.

“What is there to explain? You went behind my back and f*cked my girlfriend,” Harry hissed, glaring at the couple. His eyes fell onto Eleanor and he scoffed. “What, are you a slut too? You do a threesome?” Harry said sarcastically, his voice still gruff.

Louis glared at Harry and tightened his grip on Eleanor’s hand. “Jaiden and I are not dating. That photo was fake! I wouldn’t do that to you or Eleanor, and neither would Jaiden.”

My vision started to blur again and the throbbing in my head became more prominent. I clamped my eyes shut and moaned, letting my head fall to the side.

“Oh my God! Harry, what the hell did you do to her?” I heard Eleanor exclaim, her voice becoming muffled towards the end. My hearing was fading again. What is going on with me?

I feel a hand grab my shoulder gently and shake it. I groan and open my eyes slightly, closing them again when I’m greeted with three Eleanor’s. I groan again and close my eyes.

“Jaiden, can you hear me?” Louis’ muffled voice manages to break through the ringing. I manage a nod. “Shit, Harry what the f*ck did you do?”

“I gave her what she deserved!” Harry shouts, but I can barely hear it now. I’m so tired, and all I want to do is sleep and forget about the pain that I’m in.

“She’s not cheating on you!” I hear Louis shout. My face scrunches up and my head falls onto my chest. I groan.

“Tired,” I mumble in a slur. The voices raise in volume, as well as the ringing in my ears, and I can barely comprehend anything now. I’m really tired.

Soon I feel someone pick me up, but I’m too weak to respond. I’m barely conscious now. I hear someone talking, and I think they’re talking to me, but I can’t respond. My body is completely limp and I have no energy. I think the voice calls to me again, but I finally let sleep take over, and I fall unconscious in the person’s arms.

*

“Jaiden,” a voice says gently, and a hand gently rubs my arm. I groan and let my eyes open, blinking a few times to clear my vision. I groan when a dull throb starts in my head, and I grip my head in pain.

“Ugh,” I moan while slowly sitting up. I rub my forehead in an attempt to soothe the headache. “I feel like shit.”

“Yeah, well, you took a pretty hard hit there,” I hear a familiar voice say softly. I look up and furrow my brows when I see Eleanor sitting a few feet away from me on a bed. I sit up straighter and rub my eyes with my hands, trying to wipe the sleep away.

“Where am I?” I ask groggily once I take my hands away from my eyes.

“You’re in your room,” Eleanor says softly. I look around the room and realize that it is Harry and I’s room. I look at Eleanor again and groan when the throbbing intensifies.

“Oh God,” I moan. “My head is killing me.”

“Like I said, you hit it pretty hard earlier,” Eleanor says, handing me an ice pack that was wrapped up in a dishcloth. I take it from her and press it to the sore spot on my head.

“Thanks,” I say, shivering at the cold touch.

“You’re welcome,” she says, giving me a faint smile. Then her face turns serious. “Do you remember what happened?”

I cock my head to the side. “What?”

“Do you remember what happened?” Eleanor asks, and her brows furrow in what I think is concern.

I am about to say no, but then I remember. Rumors were being spread about Louis and I dating, Harry came home and hit me twice and I passed out after Louis and Eleanor came. I nod. “Yeah…I do.”

Eleanor nods and takes my hand in hers, squeezing it gently. “I know that you’re not dating Louis, by the way.”

I sigh in relieve. “Thank God.”

“I didn’t at first though,” El adds. “I threw a bit of a b*tch fit before I took a closer look at the photo and saw that it was Photoshop.”

I nod and lean back against the bedpost. “Where’s Harry?” I ask after a moment of silence.

Eleanor sighs and releases my hand, licking her lips nervously. “He’s downstairs with Lou. They’re talking right now.” Eleanor scoffs and shakes her head. “It took Louis half an hour to get Harry to actually look at the photo, and then Harry realized that it’s fake.”

“Speaking of which, how long have I been out for?” I ask.

“About an hour and fifteen minutes,” Eleanor answers.

I nod again and sit up, handing her the ice. “Thanks.”

“Do you wanna talk to him?” Eleanor asks, her eyes meeting mine. “He’s really worried.”

I scoff. “He hit me and told me to get out. He doesn’t give a shit about me.”

“He does,” Eleanor says, sounding unsure. “He just made a mistake.”

“He was close to giving me a full on beating, El!” I hiss. “He was going to kick me out the house too, until you and Louis showed up!”  
Eleanor gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide. “Oh my God!”

“I don’t care if he’s worried,” I say, swinging my feet over the side of the bed. “I’m not seeing him, and I’m not talking to him. He doesn’t trust me and he hit me! Twice! I know what the possibility of staying with him could be, and I’m not taking that chance!” I say.

“Jaiden,” Eleanor says, “I’m not trying to tell you that you should forgive him, because I’m not. But he’s really worried. The least you could do is talk to him.”

“No,” I hiss. “He doesn’t trust me. Who’s to say he won’t beat me again?”

Eleanor sighs and nods. “Alright…Do you want me to tell them that you’re awake?” she asks.

I pause, then shake my head. “I don’t want him coming up here. I don’t wanna see-”

“Jaiden?” A voice says, cutting me off. My head snaps up towards the door and I see Harry standing in the doorway, his eyes red-rimmed and his cheeks blotchy. My eyes widen and I freeze, unable to look away.

Louis, who is standing behind Harry, gazes down at me apologetically. “I tried to stop him.”

“You’re awake,” Harry says, ignoring Louis. I nod slightly, unable to find my voice. Harry licks his lips nervously and takes a step in, looking hesitant. “H-How are you feeling?”  
I don’t answer him. I can’t find the will to use my voice. I don’t want to talk to Harry right now; not after what he did. Sure, if he hadn’t hit me, I would be able to forgive him easier since he would only be guilty of saying hurtful things. So I just stare at him, eyes still wide and body still tense.

“Mate,” Louis says while placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder gently, “you’re scaring her. Leave her for a bit.”

Harry pushes Louis’ hand off of his shoulder and slowly walks over to me, and I do everything I can not to whimper and back away from him. Harry stands in front of the bed and gazes down at me, his eyes soft, unlike how they were earlier. I begin to shake underneath Harry’s intense gaze, unable to meet his eyes.

“Jaiden…I’m so sorry,” Harry says, his voice almost a whisper. He reaches for my hand to try and intertwine our fingers, but I pull it away, not wanting him to touch me. Harry’s face fall and his expression turns sorrowful. “Jaiden…”

I shake my head and look at Eleanor. “Do you mind leaving us alone for a bit?” I ask, my voice hesitant. Even though I don’t want to talk to Harry, never mind be in the same room as him, Eleanor is right. We need to talk.

Eleanor looks unsure of what to do. “Are you sure?”

Not really.

“Yeah,” I reply.

Eleanor nods and stands up. “We’ll be outside,” she says before she exits the room, closing the door behind her.

I watch the door, and I wish I didn’t ask her to leave. I really don’t want to be near Harry right now.

“Jaiden,” Harry croaks, and I notice that there are tears in his eyes, “I’m sorry.”

I let out a breath and stand up, making Harry step back to give me room. I run a hand through my hair and lick my lips. “It’s not an excuse.”

“I know,” Harry says with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t have! You hit me, Harry! Twice!” I exclaim.

“I know,” Harry says again. “I’m so sorry.”

“You still hit me! You still tried to kick me out after you nearly beat me!” I exclaim, walking over to the window and leaning against it.

“Oh come on,” Harry groans, “I hit you and you fell into the wall. That was your fault.”

I gasp in disbelief and look at him incredulously. “My fault? My fault? If you hadn’t hit me, I wouldn’t have hit my head on the wall in the first place! Oh, and last time I checked, you were the one who thought I was cheating, not the other way around.”

“I’m sorry!” Harry exclaims. “I got angry and lost my temper! I’m not perfect! Sorry for that!”

“Don’t make me out to be the bad guy!” I yell. “This isn’t my fault. You don’t trust me, and you proved that by hitting me and calling me a slut,” I continue.

Harry sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “F*ck.”

“I can’t believe you have so little faith in me that you’d actually believe the lies that are spread about me,” I growl, storming over to him. “When rumors go around about you cheating on me, do I freak out? Do I go to the point of trying to beat you and kick you out?”

Harry sniffled and shook his head. “Y-You’re right…f*ck, I’m sorry!”

I sigh through my nose and shake my head. “I know, but I can’t stand being in the same room as you right now…I need to get out.”

Harry’s eyes widen and his mouth bobs. “Are you…breaking up with me?”

I bite my lip and squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the tears well up in them. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod after a moment. “Yes.”

“B-But…But you can’t!” Harry stutters. “I-I love you!”

“I love you too,” I say quietly, not daring to open my eyes. “I love you so much…but I can’t stay in a relationship with you if I’m at risk of being abused. I’ve always known you’ve had a bit of a temper, but you’ve never actually hit me before. And that scares me.”

“I won’t do it again,” Harry says. “I promise!”

“You say that now, but what if you get angry and hit me again?” I say, opening my eyes and meeting Harry’s glassy green eyes. “I can’t live in fear, Harry. I know you’re sorry, but I just…I don’t trust you.”

Harry’s eyes darkened at that. “You don’t trust me?”

I tense at Harry’s rough voice, but force myself to nod. “I can’t.”

“Well why not?” Harry snaps.

“Because I don’t want this to become some sort of abusive relationship!” I shout. “You know what happened to my mom, Harry!”

Harry’s expression softens and he frowns. “Yeah…I know. But I’m not going to do that to you.”

I shake my head.

“I’m sorry Harry,” I choke out, “but I just can’t.”

Harry starts shaking his head, his eyes becoming glossy. “N-No, Jaiden…you can’t leave me.”

I ignore him and grab a small duffel bag from the closet, beginning to pack some clothes and other important materials. “I’m leaving, and you can’t stop me.”

“Jaiden, please…” Harry begs, sniffling. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you, and I shouldn’t have hit you. I’ve learned my lesson. Just…please don’t leave me.” Harry ends it with another sniffle.

I shake my head again and zip the duffle bag shut. “I’m not taking any chances.”

I throw my bag over my shoulder and head towards the door, but stop and tense up when Harry grabs my arm.

“Please…” Harry begs one last time, his voice trembling. I really do want to stay with him, but I just can’t. I don’t trust him and I’m scared of him.

“I’m sorry,” I say, pulling my arm out of his grasp.

“Is there still a chance for us?” Harry asks quietly, his voice sounding more broken than ever.

I don’t turn around to face him. I shrug.

“I’m not sure,” I reply quietly.

I finally exit the bedroom. I ignore Louis, Eleanor, and Harry’s calls, and run out the front door. I get into my car and quickly start it up. I back out of the driveway just as Harry comes running out. My eyes widen and I stomp down on the gas pedal, quickly driving away from the house.

I hate doing this, but I need to move forward. I’m not taking the chance of getting myself into an abusive relationship. Maybe I’ll go back to Harry in a couple weeks, but right now, I need to distance myself from him. With my father abusing my mother and I for many years, I don’t trust men easily. Harry was the first man that I really trusted after my mom and I got away from my dad. And now Harry has broken that trust.

But Harry is so sweet. He treats me like I’m the only girl in the world. He’s such a nice guy. I really do love him.

But I’m scared.

Although, love is scary, right?

Maybe, there’s still a chance for Harry and I.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of cheesy ending because I like to write cheesy shit. Enjoy!

  
_From: Harry_ _Please talk to me, Jaiden! I’m so sorry! Just give me a chance and we can work this out!_

I sigh in annoyance and toss my phone to the other side of the couch before burying my face in my hands. That is the tenth text Harry has sent me this morning and I just want him to stop messaging me. I would block his number, but I don’t have the heart to do it…plus I don’t know how to.

My phone vibrates again and I groan in frustration. Why can’t Harry leave me alone? It’s been a week since he hit me and I haven’t responded to one of his messages or answered any of his calls. He should have gotten the message by now, and if he has, he doesn’t seem to care.

The doorbell rings suddenly, and I rush to the door. Eleanor smiles at me when I open the door and I give her a small one in return, although it’s forced. I’m too tired to give a real, genuine smile now.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask as I step aside to let her in.

“Just checking up on you. Harry says you haven’t talked to him all week and he’s worried,” Eleanor replies, walking in and sitting down on the couch in my mum’s living room.

I’ve been staying with my mum for the past week and I haven’t gone to work once, calling in sick. At first I was hesitant to come, because I didn’t want to risk telling her what happened and get a lecture from her or something along those lines. My mother was always iffy about my relationship with Harry, especially when she witnessed our first fight. That was when we both discovered Harry had a bit of a temper. I can’t even remember what we were fighting about, but Harry was having a fit in our tiny living room. He flipped over the coffee table and nearly punched a hole in the wall before storming out. After we made up, he apologized to my mum for breaking her coffee table and bought her a new one. She’s disliked him ever since.

Anyway, I eventually caved in and came over, telling her what Harry did. She held me in her arms and comforted me while I cried into her shoulder. I was surprised that she didn’t make any comments about Harry’s temper but I was glad that she didn’t. I feel like that would have made me feel worse or possibly started a fight between us. She hasn’t said a thing about Harry or his temper all week and I’m waiting for when – or if – she does. I really hope she doesn’t.

“You’ve talked to him?” I ask. I thought that Eleanor wouldn’t have talked to him with the way he treated me. The other night me and her vented about how much of a dick move it was for him to hit me and kick me out. I did cry a little bit because it made me upset to think about it, but it didn’t last long.

“Hell no, and neither has Louis – well, not that much, at least. Louis’ pretty pissed about what Harry did too and he said he really doesn’t want to talk to Harry all that much, but from the brief conversations Louis told me he’s had with Harry, he knows Harry’s worried.”

“Why would he be worried?” I ask. “He’s the one who screwed up.”

“It’s not only worry. Louis said Harry told him he also feels awful about what he did. Louis also told me that Harry barely even talks at rehearsals now.”

My heart clenches a little at the thought of Harry being upset, but he should feel guilty. He knew about my past with my abusive father and he still had the audacity to hit me. I don’t care that it was out of anger. He shouldn’t have done it, and since he did, he has to deal with the consequences. I’m not going to be with him if that’s going to happen every time we get in a fight now. I’m not making the same mistakes my mother did.

“Good,” I finally say. “He deserves it.”

Eleanor and I end the conversation there and talk about other things for a while. As Eleanor rambles on about a date she went on with Louis, I can’t help but think about Harry. How is he? What’s he doing right now? Does he really feel guilty about what he did? He sure seemed like he felt guilty a week ago when I left, and El says Harry barely talks during rehearsals, which is not normal for him. I also wonder if he misses me…Does he?

About an hour later I hear the doorbell ring. Getting up, I go to the door and look through the peephole, my eyes widening when I see Harry standing a foot or two away from my door.

“Who is it?” Eleanor asks from the living room.

“Shh!” I hush her, quietly walking over to the coffee table. “It’s Harry.”

“What’s he doing here?” she asks.

“I don’t know!”

“Jaiden,” Harry says, knocking on the door three times. “Jaiden, please open the door.” His voice is soft and his words are slow. I’m a little tempted to open the door, but the bigger, more reasonable part of me knows that opening the door for him is a bad idea. Anything could happen if I open that door.

“Don’t answer and maybe he’ll think you’re out and leave,” Eleanor whispers, but I shake my head.

“My car’s in the driveway and I don’t usually walk around this place.” My mother lives in a small townhouse in a sketchy area. When I was younger I would walk around this neighbourhood all the time and I would feel fine, but it’s been a year or so since I’ve lived here, so I’m not used to the sketchiness. I’m also famous, and I don’t want people recognizing me.

Although, Harry Styles is standing at my front door. People are bound to notice something by now.

“Jaiden, I know you’re in there. Please, just let me in. I want to talk – that’s it,” Harry pleads. I can hear desperation in his voice, and the temptation to open the door for him grows a little more, but I still don’t move.

“What do we do?” Eleanor asks.

I don’t say anything. I don’t know what to say or do right now. Harry’s here and he knows I’m here and I don’t want to talk to him but I don’t want to ignore him either.

“Jaiden…please open the door.”

I finally crack at how desperate he sounds. My feet guide me to the door and I unlock it before opening it slowly, coming face to face with Harry. I gasp as I take in the dark bags under his eyes and the paleness of his skin. He’s wearing dark jeans and a baggy gray jumper that he rarely ever wears. His eyes meet mine and his face lights up a little bit.

“Hey,” Harry breathes.

“Uh, hey,” I say quietly. I hear footsteps and then Eleanor places her hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll talk to you later,” she says, giving me a smile. She turns to Harry and glares at him before pushing past him and going to her car.

“Uh…can I come in?” Harry asks quietly.

“Yeah,” I say as I hear Eleanor’s car drive away. I step aside for Harry and close the door behind him once he’s entered. I go to the couch Eleanor and I were sitting on minutes ago and retake my seat. Harry stands by the TV a good five or six feet away from me, hands shoved in his pockets and head lowered.

“So…how are you?” Harry’s voice is really soft and he’s talking slower than usual.

“Good,” I lie. I don’t even know why I lied anyway. I probably look like hell with how little sleep I’ve gotten because of the nightmares I’ve been having all week, and it’s only been a week since we’ve broken up. Why would I be good?

Harry doesn’t call me out on my lie, though, he just nods and scratches his head. Harry has always been a bit awkward so his lack of a verbal response leads us to an uncomfortable silence. As the silence takes over, my fingers begin to twiddle in my lap, a nervous habit of mine, and I look down as well.

A few minutes later, no one has spoken, so I decide to get a conversation started. Harry came here for a reason, a reason that I would like to know.

“Why did you come here?” I finally speak, my voice shaky. I lift my head up just in time to meet Harry’s green eyes, which seem to have dulled a little bit.

Harry clears his throat and pulls his hands out of his pockets. “I came here to apologize and talk about last week,” he states.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” I didn’t mean for that sentence to sound as snappy as it did, and I feel a little guilty when Harry frowns.

“Yes there is,” Harry says, walking over to the couch. “We can’t just ignore everything that happened.”

“What’s done is done, Harry. There’s no need to talk about anything,” I say, scooting away from him a bit. I don’t like how close he is to me.

Harry notices the increase in our distance and his frown deepens. I can see sadness in his eyes as he stares down at me.

“Jaiden, please – for the love of God – just hear me out. I’m begging you,” Harry pleads, voice cracking. His gaze is intense and I feel myself crack under his stare.

“Fine,” I sigh.

Harry lets out a breath and gestures to the empty space next to me on the couch, silently asking if he can sit down. As much as I don’t want him to be too close to me, I feel myself nod and he sits down. The couch creaks under his weight and Harry scoots back a little to get comfortable. Once he’s settled, his gaze returns to me and he clasps his hands together on his lap.

“Okay…” Harry says slowly. “I want to start off by saying that I’m really sorry for hitting you, and I’m really sorry for trying to kick you out. No matter how angry I was, it wasn’t okay for me to lay my hands on you like that and kick you out. Even if you really had cheated, that still wouldn’t have been an excuse. I had no right to hit you and for that I am so sorry.”

I nod slowly and wait for him to continue. Harry lets out a shaky breath and unclasps his hands, running them through his long curls and tugging at them. He looks anxious and frustrated and it makes me worried about him, but I shouldn’t be.

“I’m also really sorry for not trusting you and calling you a slut…and a bitch. Cheating rumors have come up before about both of us, and they’ve never been true. All those other times, it was with some guy who I knew you had dated when you were younger or were friends with. I think that this time it was the fact that you had supposedly cheated on me with Louis that got me really pissed. I mean, sure, the first time rumors came up about you supposedly cheating on me, I was angry, but I didn’t react like I did last week. I thought that both you and Louis had betrayed me and I was so hurt and angry and I just lost it. I know I have a temper and it really got the best of me last week. I became someone I’m not and it’s a good thing that Louis brought me back. I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped me from doing anything worse.”

I cringe when he says “anything worse”. Images of what he could have done flash in my head. Beatings. Bruises. Cuts. Blood. God, I really do need to thank Louis for handling Harry last week. Harry is a really sweet guy, but with how angry he was and the state of mind he was in last week, he could have done a lot worse.

Or maybe I’m just being a little irrational. Maybe my fear of ending up in a relationship similar to what my mum and dad had when I was younger is making me be a little overdramatic…No, I have a right to feel like this. I’m not being overdramatic. Harry even knows that he could have done worse with the state of mind he was in.

“When I saw the photo of you and Louis kissing, it felt like a demon taking over – no exaggeration. It was like all of this anger and jealousy took over me and I couldn’t control myself. I mean, I understand why you would like Louis more than me. He’s funny, he’s a professional football player, and he’s a lot better looking than I am. I thought this when I saw that photo and…I don’t know. I went crazy. I’m really sorry about that.”

I nod again and gaze down at my hands. “Why would you think that I would choose Louis over you? I mean, yeah, most of what you said about him is true, besides the part where he’s better looking, because that part’s not true, and he has a girlfriend, one whom he’s been dating for years and is very happy with. I would never choose him over you.”

Harry looks into my eyes and there’s a spark of hope in them. “Really?”

“Yeah, of course.”

The spark of hope leaves Harry’s eyes and he looks down at his lap. “He’d probably be a better boyfriend, though. I really screwed up.”

“Yeah, you did,” I whisper to myself, hoping that he doesn’t hear me, but by the way his eyes close and his breath hitches, I figure that he did hear me.

“I’m really sorry,” Harry repeats. “What I did was just awful and I have no excuse for hitting you, trying to kick you out and calling you names.” Harry looks up again and meets my gaze. “I really miss you, though. The house is too quiet and the bed is too cold and I miss being with you. I love you so much and I will do anything and everything I can to make it up to you and have you take me back.”

My mouth bobs open and I stare at Harry. I wasn’t expecting such a long confession from him and I’m still trying to process everything he said. And when I finally feel like my mouth and brain are connected again, Harry says, “Oh, I talked to management and they’re going to arrange for me to go to counseling.”

“Counseling?” I ask.

“Anger management,” Harry clarifies. “I’ve always had a bad temper, and what happened last week proved that I need to work on not lashing out so much when I’m mad. I’m going to be starting classes next week and I’m really hoping it does me some good.”

“Are you sure you need to do that?” I ask. I think it’s good that Harry wants to work on controlling his temper, but are anger management sessions really necessary?

“Love, you haven’t seen me on tour when I’m not on stage. I’ve thrown some fits,” Harry says. “I’m sure I want to do this. I know my temper isn’t too severe, but I’m scared that I’ll do something like I did last week again and…I can’t lash out like that again. Also, I’m going to do a couple sessions with the counselor and then we’re going to decide if I need to continue them.” Harry pauses and runs a hand through his hair. I can see all the mixed emotions on his face; sorrow, guilt, anxiety. It makes my heart clench. “Jaiden, I’m sorry for everything I did and said last week. Please take me back. I love you so much and I don’t want to lose you.” Harry’s eyes become glassy.

My heart clenches again. “I-I…I don’t know,” I stutter, voice shaking. I don’t know what to think or to feel. I want to forgive Harry and get back together with him, but I’m scared that he’s going to hurt me again, despite the fact that he’s going to start taking some anger management classes. He really hurt me last week and I keep having nightmares about it every night.

“Please…” Harry begs, taking both my hands in his. I flinch when he touches me and I can see Harry’s lips part as he stares down at my shaking hands. “Don’t be scared, love,” he says, looking up at me. “I know I scared you. I know that you think that if we get back together you’ll end up in an abusive relationship like what happened to your parents, but that won’t happen, I swear it. I’m taking these anger management classes for you.” Harry squeezes my hands gently. “Please, love…say something – anything. I need to know where we stand.”

I let out another shaky breath and feel my eyes water. “I-I’m scared,” I choke out. “I don’t wanna get hurt again.”

Harry looks down, ashamed, and sighs. “I’m sorry I scared you. I’m not going to hurt you ever again.”

I sniffle and lean forward a little. “I want to get back together, too, but I don’t know.”

Harry pulls me closer, his breath fanning across my face. “Maybe this will change your mind,” he says before kissing me. I kiss him back, feeling as Harry lets go of my hands and brings his to my face, cupping it gently. He’s putting all of his passion into this kiss, I can feel it, and it makes my heart swell. I put more passion into the kiss, smiling internally as Harry moves his hands down to my waist to pull me closer. We kiss for a few seconds more before pulling away and breathing heavily.

We stay silent for a moment and before anyone can say anything, my mother enters the house. She stops when she sees Harry sitting on the couch and glares, her brown eyes narrowed at Harry.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Mum hisses. Harry looks down and fiddles with his fingers. He looks both nervous and ashamed as my mother glares at him harshly, and I can understand why.

“Mum, we were just talking,” I answer, standing up.

“That still doesn’t answer my question as to why the hell he’s in my house!”

“Ms. Bales,” Harry says, standing up slowly. “Jaiden and I were just trying to work things out between us.”

“I want you out of my house,” Mum growls, narrowing her eyes even more. “You hit my daughter and that is absolutely unacceptable! I don’t want you anywhere near her ever again, got it, asshole?”

“Mum!” I exclaim. I can’t believe that my mother is being so aggressive towards Harry. She’s never acted anything like this towards anybody, as far as I’ve seen. “Don’t call him that! Me and him are making up, okay!”

“Jaiden, he hit you! Twice! Nothing’s stopping him from doing it again!” Her eyes widen in notification. “Wait, has he hurt you like this before?” 

“God – NO!” Harry shouts. “I never hit her or hurt her before this. It was a terrible misunderstand on my part and I know that I deserve to be punished. I was just telling Jaiden how I was sorry and how I’m going to do whatever I can to make it up to her.”

“He’s going to start taking anger management classes, Mum,” I inform her.

“So does he lash out at you a lot?” Mum asks angrily.

“NO! We rarely fight!” I exclaim. “Most of the time he’s a great guy and I love him! He’s just bad at controlling his temper when he does get mad. He’s going to work on it though…although I think anger management is a bit much,” I say.

“I don’t care if he’s a ‘great guy’ or that you ‘love him’,” my mother says, using air quotes. “He doesn’t deserve you. I want him out of my house!”

“Mum!” I shout. She can’t kick Harry out!

“Ms. Bales, please let me be with your daughter,” Harry pleads. He pauses and we turn to look each other in the eye again. “If she’ll have me…” Harry trails off. I can’t believe Harry is even asking for permission to be with me when my mother has no say in whether or not I’m going to be with him again.

“Mum…I love him,” I start off, turning to face her again. “He made a mistake, and yes, it was huge, and I’m still upset with him for that,” I pause to look at Harry to see him looking at the floor. “But I love him. He’s one of the greatest guys I’ve ever met and I don’t want to lose him either. He’s going to take anger management classes just to make sure he doesn’t lash out like that again! Even though they’re unnecessary.” I don’t add in the part where Harry said he’s lost his cool during tour.

“I don’t trust him and neither should you,” My mother hisses, glaring at Harry again.

“I don’t,” I say honestly after a moment of hesitation. I hear Harry’s breath hitch. “But I love him, and if he says he’s going to make sure his temper is kept at bay, then I believe him.”

“I don’t want you to end up like me and your father,” Mum says, her voice softer this time. “I don’t want him to be like your father, Jaiden!”

“I won’t be,” Harry says, speaking up for the first time in a couple minutes. “I know that I need to be extra careful, with what you and your daughter went through with your ex-husband. I know some people may say that taking anger management classes are a little unnecessary, but if it will help me and get Jaiden to trust me and be with me again, I’ll take them until the day I die, if I have to. I love her so much and I’m truly sorry for hurting her. I promise you both that it will never ever happen again.” Harry sounds so sincere that it’s almost heartbreaking.

My mother sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose, something she always does when she’s frustrated. “Jaiden, can I talk to you for a second – alone?”

“I’ll give you two some privacy,” Harry says before I can answer her, going into the kitchen and leaving me and her alone. 

“Mum, I know that you don’t trust him-” I start but she cuts me off.

“You’re right, I don’t trust him and neither should you.”

“I…don’t really trust him,” I repeat. “But I know that if he says he’s going to make sure he won’t hurt me again, I’ll believe him.”

“You’re making the same mistakes I made with your father,” Mum says lowly. “He told me that he would get help. He promised that he would never hurt me again, but you know what? He told me that every time he hurt me, and I still believed him, like the idiot I was. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes I made. If you stay with him that might happen.”

“I want to be with him,” I say. “I really do. But I’ll be cautious this time. I don’t trust Harry enough to fall right back into the relationship we had before. He needs to earn my trust this time.”

My mother sighs and runs a hand through her curly black hair. “Fine…be with him. If he hurts you again, I forbid you from seeing him. Is that clear?”

“Yes, mother,” I answer.

My mother nods and turns on her heel, going upstairs and leaving me alone in the living room. Not for the long, though, as Harry walks in soon after she leaves. He moves to stand in front of me and looks down at me with hopeful eyes.

“Well?” Harry asks.

“Well what?”

“What’s your decision?” Harry asks anxiously.

I stay silent for a moment and go over my decision. Am I really making a good decision by getting back together with Harry? What if my mother is right? What if we do end up in a relationship like what my mother and father had? What if Harry does hurt me again?

No…he wouldn’t do that. We’ve been dating for over a year and not once has he ever lashed out at me like this…besides that stupid fight we had in front of my mother. And Harry isn’t one to break his promises, so I’m sure he’ll go through with the anger management classes – which I still find to be a little unnecessary, but hey, I won’t stop him. I think taking those classes will help Harry in the future. I’d rather not see the Harry I saw last week ever again.

“You need to promise me something,” I tell him.

“Anything.”

“I never want to see that side of you again,” I say, referring to the fight.

Harry nods vigorously. “You never will, I promise. Honestly, that side of me scares me too.”

“As long as you never lash out like that again, and you promise to trust me more, then we can be together,” I say.

Harry smiles a little bit. “I promise.”

I smile a little too. “Then we can be together.”

Harry’s smile turns into a huge grin and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest and embracing me in a tight hug. I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest, smiling to myself.

“Thank you,” Harry says softly.

“You have to earn my trust, though,” I point out.

“I already said that I’ll do whatever it takes to get you to trust me again.”

“I’m staying here for a bit.”

“Okay. You’ll come over though, right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright,” Harry says. “I love you, Jaiden.”

“I love you too, Harry.”


End file.
